Ballast remover



Feb. 9, 1960 D. v. PEDIGO 2,924,030

BALLAST REMOVER Filed June 12, 1957 o r 2,924,030 P tented F'eb".- 9, 1

BALLAST REMOVER Dossie V. Pedigo, Sweetwater, Tex.

Application June 12, 1957, Serial No. 665,310

3 Claims. (Cl. 37-104) My invention relates to a ballast remover,sometimes called a cribbing machine, for use in removing all or part ofthe ballast between the ties on a railroad right of way so that theballast may be cleaned and repacked I am aware that many machines havebeen built for this purpose, but such are generally massive andexpensive to build, and contemplate the removal and reconditioning ofall of the ballast, and therefore find their use in a set up where thereis a considerable length of track on which all of the ballast must bereconditioned.

The object of my invention is to provide a light inexpensive machinemounted on a railroad truck which can readily be lifted off the trackand therefore will not require a train conductor when it is used on amain line of railroad, and which may be used to advantage by a smallworking gang to repair a short length of track. Such machine comprises adigging wheel driven by a motor which is reversible as to its directionwhich wheel may readily be changed over from a position inside the railto a position outside the rail and rotated in the direction to move theballast away from the rail. The entire machine which rests on the truckmay be reversed thereon so that the digging wheel may operate bothinside and outside of the other rail. The ballast is thus removed fromunder both rails and the grade of the rails may be corrected and theballast restored to its place.

With this and other objects in view my invention resides in theparticular construction and arrangement of parts herein fully described,and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring now to the drawing, which is a part of this specification, andin which like characters indicate like parts:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of my ballast remover with the digging wheel onthe outside of the rail;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of same;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of my machine with the digging wheel on theinside of the rail; and

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of my machine in the position shown in Fig. land Fig. 2.

The rails 11 and 12 are fastened to the ties between and under whichlies the ballast to be removed and cleaned. On these rails 11 and 12roll the two car wheels with axles 13 for the railroad truck. These carwheel axles 13 are connected by parallel beams 40 into which may fit thebeam supports 14 of the table 15. This fit may be loose so that thetable 15 with its beam supports 14 attached may be lifted off andreversed in direction and replaced.

Midway of the table 15 the base board 16 rests flat on top thereof. Ateach of its forward and rear edges, the baseboard 16 has attachedthereto upstanding cleats 17 and 18, each cleat provided with a seriesof holes bored through it into which fit the hinge pins 21 and 22. Thesepins pass through and are held by the brackets 19 and 20 each of whichis fastened to the board 16. Each of the hinge pins 21 and 22 isL-shaped, having a handle at its outer end at right angles to the axis.The

holes in the cleats 17 and 18 are so set that the base board-16 mayproject to one side over the table 15, and when the board 16 is reversedthe board 16 may project a like distance over the other edge of thetable 15.

On the board 16 is mounted a motor 38 with its axis in line with theline of the rails 11 and 12. This motor is preferably a gasoline engineand is reversible so that it will move in either direction of rotation.Its weight makes it unnecessary to make any other provision for holdingthe baseboard 16 down on the table 15. On the side that extendsoutwardly over the rail 12 the board 16 has an indented cut out portionleaving a wide tongue forward-and a narrow tongue at the rear. On thenarrow tongue is mounted one pedestal 24, and on the wide tongue twopedestals 24 near the outer edge of the board 16, all said pedestals 24aligning and each holding a bearing in which turns the drive shaft 26.

On the drive shaft 26 between the two forward pedestals 24 isfastenedthe pulley 27 driven by a belt 28 from the pulley 39 on themotor 38. Also on the shaft 26 back of the intermediate bearing 25 aremounted the tilt bars 35 and 36 and 36 joined at their upper ends by thehandle 37, each tilt bar having a hole through which the shaft 26passes, the tilt bars being swingable on the shaft 26.

These tilt bars 35 and 36 are connected at their lower ends by an axle33 journaled in each of the bars. On this axle 33 is mounted a pulley 31driven by a belt 32 from an aligning pulley 29 fastened on the driveshaft 26. Fastened to the axle 33 parallel to the pulley 31 is thedigging wheel 34 carrying on its circumference the digging blades 30.The digging wheel 34 will be rotated in counterclockwise direction asviewed in Fig. 2 and in clockwise direction when inside of the rail 12,in either case it will move the ballast away from the rail.

The cutout in the base board 16 provides space for the swinging of thetilt bars 35 and 36 on which the wheel 34 is supported. These tilt bars35 and 36 swinging on the drive shaft 26 will bring the digging wheel 34into contact with the ballast to excavate it as deep as it is necessaryto go.

I have shown in the drawing the operation of the digging wheel 34 bothinside and outside of the rail 12. It will however be necessary toarrange the ballast remover so that it can operate both inside andoutside of the rail 11. To accomplish this the baseboard 16 can bereversed, or the table 15 can be reversed on the beam supports 14, orthe entire railroad truck with its axles 13 can be reversed, whicheveris found most convenient.

The ballast remover when so reversed will operate the digging wheel 34both inside and outside of the rail 11 in either case moving the ballastaway from the rail 11. It is not necessary to disturb the ballast in themiddle of the track, but a trench is thus dug under each rail. When theballast is tamped back into place each rail may be brought back toproper grade and the repair is thus completed.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is:

1. In a ballast remover, a table movable along the track, a boardmounted above said table movable transversely to said track, bracketsmounted on said table one on each side of said board, upstanding cleatsfastened on each side of said board, each cleat provided with a seriesof holes spaced apart, pins passing one through each of said brackets tofit in one of said holes, a motor mounted on said board, a drive shaftmounted on said board near its outer edge, a pair of tilt bars eachturnable on 'said shaft and extending radially therefrom, said boardprovided with an inwardly extending cutout to permit the swinging ofsaid tilt bars inward from vertical position,

an: axle held by said til tbars near their end remote from said driveshaft, a digging wheel mounted on said axle, and means connecting saidmotor to said drive shaft and the latter to said axle.

2. In a ballast remover, the mechanism specified in claim 1, said motorbeing reversible and operating in either direction of rotation.

3. In a ballast remover, a table movable along the track, a boardresting above said table movable transversely to said track, bracketsmounted on said table on each side of said board, upstanding cleatsfastenedon each side of said board, each cleat provided with a series ofholes spaced apart, pins passing through each of said brackets to fiteach in one of said holes, said board being reversible with respect tosaid brackets so that it may extend outwardly beyond said table ineither direction, a motor mounted on said board, a. drive shaft mountedon said board near its outer edge, a pair oftilt bars each turnable onsaid shaft and extending radially therefrom, said board provided with aninwardly extending cutout to permit the swinging of said tilt barsinward from vertical position, an axle held by said tilt bars near theirend remote from said drive shaft, a digging wheel mounted on saidaxle,and means connecting said motor to said drive shaft and the latter to 10said axle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

